Summary of eDiscussion submissions - Canada's Engagement in the Americas Policy Research Division, Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada March 2009 Note: The opinions presented are not those of the Government of Canada From October 21 to December 12, 2008, Canadians were invited to share their views on “Canada's Engagement in the Americas.” Participants were provided with numerous online resources to foster clear and informed discussion. There were a total of 427 postings to the eDiscussion, averaging 450 words, and close to 20 000 visits. Several strategic questions were posed to the participants by policy-makers within Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada to guide and frame the eDiscussion. Below is a summary of the main points raised in response to the questions: MINUSTAH (United Nations Stabilisation Mission in Haiti) Participants who commented on MINUSTAH’s efforts in Haiti highlighted the importance of the role that the police and the wider justice system play in the country’s reconstruction. They also stated that their task is not easy, and that perseverance is important to accomplish the goals of the mission. However, other participants believed that MINUSTAH is a mission that has too much of a military focus, which inhibits its chances of success by neglecting other important needs in Haiti. Another participant believed that MINUSTAH represents an excellent opportunity for Canada to advance military cooperation with Latin American countries that are also involved in the mission, such as Brazil. Crime in the Caribbean The question about crime in the Caribbean generated very high levels of interest among participants, who provided a wide variety of policy solutions that Canada could adopt. Many pointed to the importance of root causes in addressing this problem, and saw the lack of economic opportunity or social inequalities as the main problems. Accordingly, they suggested that Canada could help spur economic activity through investment (for instance, in the tourism industry, which is a fixture of the Caribbean) or could address social inequalities via regional education programmes. Others saw crime in the Caribbean as a consequence of under-performing justice systems. This premise led them to suggest that Canada ought to train Caribbean penal and justice officials. Some participants believed that Canada could also provide funding to Caribbean countries wishing to reform their justice systems. Other participants drew attention to Canada’s relative success in preventing and prosecuting criminal acts,
especially the model of community policing, and advocated similar solutions for the Caribbean. Finally, other participants took a wider perspective by suggesting that international or regional cooperation should be used more effectively or enhanced. There are many organisations that deal with criminality in the Caribbean. Some organisations identified by participants have a purely regional focus (like the Caribbean Financial Action Task Force, whose responsibility is to fight criminal money laundering), while others are international (the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime which fights against illicit drugs and international crime). Some participants also believe that Canada could help coordinate these regional and international efforts more effectively, thus contributing to the fight against crime in the Caribbean. Disaster Management eDiscussion participants brought forward some interesting ideas on how Canada could assist the Caribbean in dealing with natural disasters. Many agreed that Canada could provide funding to address the issue, and direct it towards projects that promote prevention as opposed to post-disaster response. Their rationale was to help diminish the intensity of the human suffering and damage that follow a natural disaster. In addition, discussants also believed that Canada could and should build local capacity for disaster risk management. For instance, one specific suggestion would allocate funding towards infrastructure projects that could improve Caribbean nations’ resilience. Numerous discussants also urged Canada to adopt a local perspective in choosing how to allocate any funding; this could be achieved with the help of local civil society groups. Participants also pointed to the presence of international and regional organisations endowed with a mandate for disaster relief. These organisations include the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Response Agency (CDERA, which is a subset of CARICOM) and the Red Cross. Some participants believe that Canada’s role here can be to use these organisations better, and to coordinate their relief efforts more effectively. Civil Society and Democracy A number of eDiscussion submissions began with the premise that democracy was the best form of government. They also saw civil society as a fundamental component of democracy and as mutually reinforcing. Participants also indicated they saw civil society’s role as one of intermediary between the citizenry at large and the government. In this view, civil society’s work would consist of ascertaining the preoccupations of the people and relaying them to the government in place. Discussants noted that civil society organisations in Latin America and the Caribbean should work to address the basic needs of their societies. For some Latin American and Caribbean states, this may mean a focus on necessities such as food, water and shelter. Other participants expressed a similar idea in different terms, saying that civil society should strive to tackle the root causes of underdevelopment and poverty.
Another group of participants highlighted the need for civil society to focus principally on education, though in two different ways. Some intended this to mean that civil society should impart the importance of democracy and basic democratic values to the people of Latin America and the Caribbean. This might be analogous to civics classes in Canada. The second perspective was a more practical one, viewing education in the sense of advocacy training or effective use of NGOs to achieve political results. In this environment, discussants wrote that Canada should indeed support civil society in Latin America and the Caribbean. Many expressed a view that Canada could promote more inclusive representation within civil society in this region. Others said that Canada should promote greater popular involvement in the political process, which could be accomplished via civil society groups. Participants suggested that Canada could contribute funding to assist such efforts, or could perhaps help by providing volunteers. Civil Society and Political Inclusion Most argued that civil society can assist in promoting the participation of traditionallyexcluded groups like youth, women and indigenous peoples. Many stated that Canada needs to tackle the root causes of this problem, which some identified as lack of economic opportunity or traditional values. Specifically, participants believed that Canada could empower excluded groups via education. For instance, one person wrote that the Government of Canada could offer scholarships or other educational programmes for civil organisations to come to Canada and lean about running political campaigns. Some participants also believe that Canada can present itself as a model, in terms of inclusion, and lead by example by highlighting the progress the country has made towards more inclusion. Others warned that Canada’s record is still somewhat imperfect, by pointing to low levels of female representation in Parliament, for example, and thus urged we proceed cautiously. Free Trade Agreements and Labour Mobility Most participants believe that free trade agreements (FTAs) had a beneficial effect on both Canada and the other country. As such, most would be pleased to see Canada expand the number of FTAs it has. A few posters worried, however, that in the current international economic crisis, such actions could lead to a political backlash in Canada. The majority of participants opined that free trade is beneficial for all parties, and that it is an effective means to promote economic development in Latin American and the Caribbean. Youth Mobility The vast majority of eDiscussion participants did not know that Canada had recently signed a youth mobility agreement with Chile. Similarly, the vast majority agreed that this was a good idea. They identified the lack of information and advertising as the
programme’s main problem. They suggested that any publicity campaign should make use of media sources consulted by youth (like the internet or university newspapers) or the spaces frequented by youth (university campuses or job fairs). The main problem of was the programme’s potential cost. As such, participants indicated that financial incentives (such as loans or grants) would be helpful in increasing participation. Others raised the possibility of cooperating with specific universities to turn the opportunity into something of a “coop placement” where participating students could get university credits for taking part in the programme.